This small ripple did not last for several days. On June 28, the emperor issued an edict to bring the six consorts and dozens of palace maids in Qixiang Palace to Shenxing Temple for interrogation.

  Two days later, Mei, the imperial concubine of Xi Xiang Palace, was accused of "disrespecting the empress" and was banished to a cold palace. The remaining consorts and palace maids in Xi Xiang Palace were quickly released, and the emperor bestowed jewelry and headdresses to appease them, but they were all frightened pale.

  A sudden great movement in the palace, everyone's heart is shocked and trembling.

  Tuoba Hong, after finding out about the Longle Palace incident being a treacherous plot, did not spread the news and instead secretly investigated. So far, the only people who know about this matter are the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and Xiao Huanghou.

  Empress Xiaoyi had to take charge of the palace and also help Emperor Xizong investigate cases, so she was very tired every day. However, she did not dare to relax and could only do her best to assist Tuoba Hong.

  The imperial concubines were all in the dark, watching as Mu was dealt with on charges of "great disrespect". Those with good minds began to speculate - perhaps when Empress Xiao was under house arrest, Mu had done something improper or said something that enraged the empress, resulting in this outcome.

  But what truly thoughtful people are thinking is why would the Emperor interrogate the entire Xīng Xiáng Palace? It's probably not a simple matter.

  He also prudently retreated and did not dare to discuss Mu's affairs.

  Lin Wan didn't know that the Emperor had discovered that the remnants of Mu Wu Wang were making trouble in the palace, but she knew that the Emperor was secretly investigating the Long Le Palace incident. Mu Mei Ren being deposed was likely due to being implicated. As a late-stage sufferer of persecution delusions, Tuoba Hong would rather kill wrongly than let someone off. With just a hint of suspicion, he ordered Mu's execution.

  Lin Wan herself was not in any crisis, she was pregnant and had been deeply harmed by the Chang Le Palace incident, so it was impossible for her to be suspected by the emperor. She coldly observed the women in this palace, who were supposedly living a life of luxury, but in the emperor's heart they were nothing more than ants that could be easily crushed, ruining a woman's entire life with just a slight movement.

  The harem of the Qianwu Emperor's court was more turbulent than any previous dynasty. The frequent occurrences of imperial consorts being given death sentences, deposed, dying from illness, or being secretly harmed were truly too numerous to count.

  Although the whole city was in turmoil, the emperor's favor towards Lin Yuanyuan did not diminish in the slightest. After Empress Wang was cleared of her charges, the Xiao family began to settle down and Emperor Taizong of Northern Wei, having less pressing matters to attend to, resumed his daily visits to Lin Yuanyuan as per usual.

  Because of the thief in the palace, he was worried and his stomach was still not good. When he came to Hongyan Building with Lin Yuan to have a meal together, Lin Yuan personally cooked lotus leaf porridge and brought out two small dishes that she had suddenly thought of making, which actually coaxed Tuoba Hong into eating a lot.

  Tuoba Hong suddenly remembered last year's event after eating lotus leaf congee in Lin Yuen's palace. He grabbed Lin Yuen's shoulder and asked excitedly, "This lotus leaf congee tastes extraordinary! I thought it was the chef from the Imperial Food Bureau who had a good idea, but now I remember that you used to make this dish! Yuen, is it you who made it?"

  Lin Wan just smiled: "The emperor's love is great, but it's just a dish... and the concubine didn't do well, a few days ago, the manager of the food bureau came to tell the concubine that the green bean powder added to the rice porridge wasn't very good. The concubine was thinking about how to improve it."

  "Hey, you're a pregnant woman, how can you do chores?!" Taohong's face sank again, and he advised: "I know your temper, whenever food is sent to me, you must wash your hands, roll up your sleeves and cook it yourself. It was fine before, but now you are the most precious person in the palace, if you really want to prepare meals for me, just order the cooks around, and supervise them yourself."

  Lin Wan lowered her head and smiled without speaking. Tuoba Hong took another sip of the porridge, unable to help but continue praising: "Wan'er is not a great chef, but she wins with her clever thoughts. The lotus leaf porridge is fragrant and delicious, most suitable for summer consumption. That day, the Empress's appetite was also poor, I used this porridge to coax her, and she even wanted me to reward the person who made the porridge...". As he spoke, he ordered: "Yao Fusheng, go to the Empress's palace and ask for some rewards to give to Huisheng!"

  This was just a joke. However, Yao Fu Sheng still went to Changxin Palace to ask for rewards.

  Lin Wan's eyebrows slightly furrowed, but in an instant, she regained her smile. Mentioning Xiao Huang Hou, that no longer young and faded beauty, who had long been neglected by her husband, these days Tuoba Hong treated her with increasing warmth and intimacy!

  The palace is full of twists and turns, the case of Long Le Palace's harm to such a big case, Lin Wei is in it, but still calm as water. What surprised her was that Xiao Huang Hou had been through this matter, and actually had a tendency to regain favor!

  In Tuoba Hong's pity and guilt towards Xiao Yu Yi, he seemed to have touched the soft memories of many years ago. Lin Wan had never considered Empress Xiao as a rival for imperial favor, but now she found that things had changed.

  However, Lin Wan thought about it and finally didn't put Xiao Yueyi in the category of competing for favor. She knew that as the empress, Xiao Yueyi had a natural disadvantage in competing for favor, and if she wanted to secure her position, she had to maintain a dignified appearance and couldn't be like the concubines who acted coquettishly. Currently, the emperor was being affectionate towards her only because of his guilt, but once time passed and the emperor's feelings of guilt dissipated, he would still dislike her cold and aloof demeanor as before.

  At night, Tuoba Hong stayed at the Jiyan Building and slept with Lin Wan together.

  Lin Wan was spoiled by him, and when the sky brightened, she didn't even know to get up early to serve the emperor, but instead slept soundly with her buttocks raised. It wasn't until the palace maid called her that she realized the person beside her had already left, and the bed was cold.

  Xuexue Shen muttered in a low voice: "Your Majesty left at midnight, at the first watch."

  "What's going on?"

  "I don't know."

  Lin Wan's heart was filled with doubts, but she still lazily got out of bed to prepare for her visit to pay respects to the empress.

  The result was that in the Changxin Palace, the Empress calmly and indifferently said to the many consorts: "The palace maids of the Weaving and Dyeing Bureau are unchaste, and have actually had illicit affairs. The Emperor is enraged, and has ordered the twenty-six palace maids of the Weaving and Dyeing Bureau, along with those in charge, to be taken to the Department of Punishments, where they will be executed immediately."

  The concubines' fingers all clenched up. Dozens of lives were gone just like that.

  Last year, the queen was frozen to death and stolen, and more than 100 palace people were executed in Shanggong Bureau. It is still fresh in my memory. Like Xiao Huanghou, the emperor also never took human life seriously.

  The crime of adultery is indeed not small. Whether it's a palace maid or an eunuch, once they enter the palace gates, it's about suppressing human desires for the sake of heaven's principles. Palace maids are nominally the emperor's women and cannot have any impurities. It's just that this person's crime implicated the entire Weaving Department, and they were all executed, which is rarely seen.

  A few days later, it was reported that a certain Meng of Bao Lin had been executed and his entire family slaughtered.

  The panic and terror of the people in the harem spread like a plague.

  Those twenty-six palace women were killed for the crime of adultery; Meng was put to death along with her family members, accused of disrespecting the emperor and harboring treacherous intentions. Further back in time, there was also a Consort Mu who had been banished to the Cold Palace for disrespecting the empress.

  Tuoba Hong's accusations against them were all high-sounding, but Lin Yuan was not fooled.

  For the harem, the summer days of the ninth year of Jianwu were the darkest days since Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei ascended to the throne. Everyone in the palace felt that there were too many troubles in the palace, and from time to time, someone was executed or implicated, and no one knew when it would be their turn.

  Everyone thought it was just bad luck and an unlucky year, and many palace concubines went to the temple in the palace to burn incense and pray for peace from heaven. Only Lin Yuan knew that Tuoba Hong had found all sorts of excuses, but was actually eliminating the rebellious party. The palace maids in Shangfu Bureau estimated that a real remnant of Mu Wu Wang had appeared, so Tuoba Hong executed everyone who had contact with that criminal, not sparing a single one. As for Meng Bao Lin, it was unknown whether he was truly guilty or innocently implicated.

  Accompanying the emperor is like accompanying a tiger, for he would rather mistakenly kill than let go. In the midst of bewildering wealth and power that dazzles people's eyes, comes an unbearable price and risk.

  Lin Wan thought and found it funny, Tuoba Hong was so angry this time, and anxious, his movements were very big. The rebels saw it with their own eyes, they might not be able to guess.

  Why bother to conceal one's purpose then? Indeed, it is the royal way of doing things, where face is more important than anything else. Even if he had already been seen through, Emperor Xiaowen would not admit to the people that his throne and life were under threat.

  Inside the palace, everyone was in a state of anxiety. Emperor Taizong of Northern Wei was busy every day and had fewer opportunities to favor his concubines. At that time, it was already July, and the summer heat was getting thicker, but with such a serious incident happening in the palace, Emperor Taizong did not have any thoughts of avoiding the heat or going on pleasure trips. Fortunately, this year's weather was cool, and the princes and nobles had little objection to the emperor's decision.

  However good the weather, summer days in the capital were always unbearable. Tuoba Hong's mood was irritable and his appetite was poor, often picking on the dishes served by the Imperial Food Bureau, Lin Yu's lotus leaf congee became the emperor's favorite again, just like last year.

  I don't know what the emperor is thinking, but even the head chef of the imperial kitchen can't serve him well. The dishes made by Hui Bin are not perfect, yet he likes them. However, eating porridge every day won't do. Lin Yuan has nothing to do and happens to be with Qi Ronghua, who loves cooking, studying culinary skills together. They often cook something and take it to the Jianzhang Palace to offer to the emperor.

  The other consorts were all terrified, shrinking into their own palaces and anxiously watching the situation, wondering if they would be the next to die. Meanwhile, Lin Yuan strolled leisurely from Huayang Palace to Jianzhang Palace every day, chatting with the emperor and having meals together. Others envied and imitated her, but ended up being rebuked for disturbing the imperial carriage. Emperor Tuoba Hong had been in a bad mood lately, and the consorts had been warned many times, so they didn't dare to approach him again.

  It was Lin Yuan who had fulfilled her wish alone.

  As usual, he took his food box to Jianzhang Palace at dusk.

  Lin Yanzhen is really bored, used to work overtime even when she was sick, now playing cards feels like a long time. Fortunately, there's still the matter of competing for favor that can be done.

  Huayang Palace and Jianzhang Palace are not far apart, passing through a peony garden, and walking over a short and narrow alley to arrive. Lin Wan walked slowly, the sunset's afterglow on the glazed tiles of the temple's flying eaves reflected a dazzling golden light.

  Although the summer heat was intense, fortunately, there were many grape trellises planted on both sides of the official road at the entrance of the alley. Walking under the shade of the vines, Lin Yin could still see the very small, unripe green grapes above her head, and her mood was still good.

  As I turned a corner, some noise came from ahead.

  "It seems like someone is beating people under the eaves." Xiaochengzi frowned and said: "These days, the emperor's mood has not been good. Everyone in the palace has been behaving themselves, not daring to stir up any trouble. I don't know which palace this is from, being so reckless as to mete out private punishment on the streets."